Sylvania



(No Model.)

J. R. 8v J. M. MBLLOR.

WOOL DRIBR.

Patented Mar. 8, 1892.

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NITED STATES JOHN R. MELLoR AND JAMES ATENT Orricn.:

M. MELLOR, OF CLIFTON HEIGHTS, PENN- SYLVANIA.

WOOL-DRIER.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 470,582, elated March s,1892. Application liled September 2,1891. Serial No. 404,549. (Nomodel.)

invention is to produce a simple, easy-run` ning, and compact :machinewhich will thoroughly dry a large quantity of wool, which will lightenup the wool and dry it insuch a manner that its fiber will not beinjured, and which may be kept at the required temperature with acomparatively small amount of.

steam.

To this end our invention consists in a wooldrier, the construction ofwhich will-be hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar figures of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the views.

. Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of the machine embodyingour invention. Fig. 2 is a detail side elevation of the feedbrush. Fig.3 is a detail side elevation ofthe feed-comb. Fig. 4 is adetailsectional elevation of one of the branch exhaust-pipes Fig. 5 is adetail sectional View showing the guards for the main apron and showingalso the manner in which the exhaust-pipes connect withthe main frame orcase. Fig. b' is a detail perspective view showing the manner in whichthe apron-slats are secured to the carryingchains, and Fig. 7 is abroken detail view of one end ot a carrier-Slat.

The machine is provided With a main box or case 10, which also forms themachineframe, and at one end of this case isa hopper 11,in which hopperisa common form of spikeapron 12, which is arranged vertically in thehopper near the front end of the case and which raises the Wool from thehopper, so as to feed it into the machine.

Near the upper end of the hopper and on the front side is a comb 12,which comprises a revoluble roller 13 and three series of proj ectingcurved teeth 14. The roller is mounted on the ordinary adjustablebearings, soV

that it may be made to give a light or heavy `feed, and it is turned byagear connection with the driving-shaft. (Not shown in the drawings.)This comb serves to lighten up the fibers of the wool, so that it may bequickly acted'on by the heat in the main case.

A little above the feed-apron 12, and between it and the main case, is abrush 15, which brushes the wool from the spike-apron, and the brushcomprises a revoluble roller 16 and a series of projecting strips 17,which are preferablyof leather. This brush is arranged above the opening'18 in the main case,whicl1y opening is near the top of the case and onthe front side, and extending through this opening is an intermediatecarrying-apron 19, which runs on the usual rollers 20, one end of theapron being arranged beneath the brush 15 and the other end above theupper `main carrying-apron 21. This apron 2l comprises a revolublesprocket-wheel 22, arranged at each end, the ordinary link-chains 23,which are carried by the sprocket-wheels, the rectangular chairs 24,arranged on opposite sides of alternate links and having central brads24 to project into the apron-slats, and the cross-slats 25, which slatsare placed close together and have their ends inserted in the chairs 24.The chairs have also projecting spring-straps'24b, as shown in Fig. 6,which straps are perforated to receive the pins 25a on the sides of theslats 25 near the ends. This makes a simple form of apron, and in caseany of the slats become broken they may be easily replaced. The apron isfurther strengthened by the usual carrying-rollers. (Shown in Fig. 1.)The apron 21 delivers on a similar apron 2liL immediately beneath it,and this delivers 011 another apron 2lb in thelower portion of the case,and, if desired, a greater number of aprons may be used. Thesprocketwheels on the aprons 21 and 21b should be mounted in adjustablebearings, and the aprons should be driven by differential gears, so thattheir speed may be regulated. These aprons travel in differentdirections, so as to give a continuous movement to the wool, asindicated by the arrows in Fig. 1.

To prevent the wool from spreading and falling off the apronsguard-strips 26 are used, which strips run longitudinally through the soas to receive the dried wool from the main.

carrying-apron 211 and carry it out of the machine.'

Beneath the floor of the caseis an exhaustblower 29, which has aninlet-pipe 30, said pipe connecting with branch pipes 31, which pipesare widened near their upper ends at 32, and these ends-enter the case10 through opposite walls near the rear upperend of the carrying apron21h, and this arrangement causes the moist air to be drawn in theblower. The outlet-pipe 33 of the blower is enlarged to form a cylinder34, in which coils of steampipe are placed, and beyond the cylinder thepipe is lattened, as shown at 35, and projects upward into the front endof the case 10, where it terminates inabent nozzle 36, which deliversabove the upper carrying-apron 21. The shape of this pipe and nozzlebreaks the force of the air, so that it will not blow the wool about,and it is given a direction which coincides with the direction that thewool is carried by the aprons, as indicated by the arrows, and in orderthat the air may follow the wool and have the best possible effecthinged air-guides 37 are arranged at opposite ends of the'case, onebeing arranged t-o rest lightly on the front end of the apron 21 andanother to press lightly on the front end of the apron l carrying-apronstherein adapted to deliver 211. These air-guides also serve to preventthe wool from falling ott the aprons. The guides are hinged so that theywill rest lightly on the aprons and yield under pressure of anyinequalities of the aprons.

The circulation-pipes 38 are arranged so as f to partially iill thecylinder 34, and they are also arranged in coils between the variouscarrying-aprons, as shown in Fig. 1. The machine has a driving-shaft 39,which extends across the top near the front, and a vertical shaft 40 isgeared to this and serves to drive the sprocket-wheels and aprons.

The operation of the machine is as follows: The wet wool isfed into thehopper 11, and it will be carried upward by the spike-apron 12, will becombed uplightly at the upper end of the apron by the comb 12, whichcomb also prevents too large a body ot' wool from being carried into themachine, and as the wool passes the top of the apron 12 it is brushed bythe brush 15 upon the intermediate apron 19, and is delivered by thesaid apron upon the upper carrying-apron 21. It will be noticed that thelight wool as it drops upon the apron will be exposed to a volume of airfrom the nozzle 36 and the air and wool will move on together, the wooldropping from the apron 21 upon the apron 21a, and from said apron uponthe lower apron 2lb, from whence it will be delivered upon the apron 27and carried out of the machine. air in the case 10 becomes moist and iseX- hausted by the blower 29 and made to re-en- .ter the upper end ofthe case; but it will be heated by the coils of pipe in the cylinder 34,so that a constant current of comparatively As the wool dries, the

cool moist air is passing out of the case and a constant stream ot hotair passing into it. It necessarily follows that the wool may be veryrapidly dried with a comparatively small amount of heat. Moreover, thewool is dried bythe direct radiation of heat from the pipes 38.

Having thus fully described ourinvention, we claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patentl. A wool-drier comprising a main case having awool-inlet at one end near the top and a wool-outlet at the opposite endnear the bottom, a series of carrying-aprons arranged' horizontally inthe case and adapted to deliver one upon another, hinged guard-stripsmounted on the inner Walls of the case and adapted to rest upon theaprons near the sides, a blower arranged adjacent to the case,exhaust-pipes leading from the lower portion of the case to the blower,a supply-pipe lead- :ing from the blower to the upper front porltion ofthe case, and a heating-coil within the supply-pipe, substantially asshown and described.

2. The combination, with the main case, the

one upon another, and an air-supplying apparatus, of side guards hingedto the case and adapted to rest longitudinally upon the carrying-aprons,and air-guides hinged to the case and adapted to rest upon the endportions of the aprons and direct the air-supply `of a verticalspike-apron arranged in the hopper adjacent to the opening, a revolublecomb mounted in the hopper in front of the spikeapron, a revoluble brushmounted in the hopper between the spike-apron and the case,

and an intermediate apron arranged to move through the opening in thecase and deliver upon the carrying-aprons, substantially as described.

JOHN R. MELLOR. JAMES M. MELLOR.

Witnesses:

FRED KAUFFMANN, Jr., SIDNEY R. SMITH.

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